Chapter 3 Project 3: The Most Wanted Bacterium: Dead or Alive! Poster
While most bacteria are harmless or beneficial, many are pathogenic (cause disease). Create a “Most Wanted: Dead or Alive!” poster of ONE pathogenic bacterium from the list below.

Pathogen
Disease
1
Bacillus anthracis
anthrax
2
Clostridium botulinum OR Bacillis botulinum
botulism (p.71)
3
Clostridium tetani OR Bacillus tetani
tetanus
4
Escherichia coli (certain strains)
http://www.microbeworld.org/resources/gallery_03_ecoli.htm
traveler’s diarrhea, food poisoning
5
Lactobacillus acidophilus
cavities
6
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
tuberculosis
7
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
gonorrhea
8
Salmonella spp. (e.g. S. typhimurium)
Food poisoning
9
Staphylococcus aureus (pp.63-64)
http://www.microbeworld.org/resources/gallery_09_staph.htm
Food poisoning; boils
10
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Pneumonia
11
Vibrio cholerae
cholera
12
Yersinia pestis
plague

Your A3 size posters must include the following:
Your name(s) and date
Title: “Most Wanted Bacteria: Dead or Alive!” (be creative!)
The name of your bacterium (you can add humor, e.g., Sly the Salmonella).
A large mug shot (picture or drawing) of the bacterium (about ¼ of your poster)
A brief description of your bacterium, including:
Shape (bacilli, cocci or spirilla)
Motility: how does it move?
How does it reproduce (must be detailed)?
o Describe why reproduction is important for your bacteria
o Asexual or sexual reproduction? Describe in detail
o Describe 2-3 advantageous of how your bacteria reproduce
How does it obtain food and energy (e.g. aerobic or anaerobic)?
Classification (Taxonomy):
What kingdom does it belong to (Archaebacteria or Eubacteria)?
What major group does it belong to (producer or consumer)?
Ecology:
Habitat: Where is its favourite hangout (where does it live)?
What important ecological role(s) does it play (if any)?
Describe your bacterium’s crime (e.g., poison suspect, disease caused, etc)

Research: Use your textbook and the internet. These additional websites will also help you complete your poster:
  1. National Geographic: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/0010/bacteria/
  2. Microbe World: http://www.microbeworld.org/resources/gallery.aspx
http://www.microbeworld.org/microbes/bacteria/default.aspx
  1. Excellent collection of electron-microscopic pictures, by bacterial species name or keywords: http://www.denniskunkel.com/index.php
  2. U.S. FDA “Bad Bug Book” Book: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/intro.html
  3. Virtual Museum of Bacteria: http://www.bacteriamuseum.org/species/index.shtml
  4. The Microbe Zoo: http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/index.html
  5. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org